What is Equity in the Workplace: Promote, Measure, Examples

Equity in the workplace relates to fairness in pay, fairness in providing work, and eight opportunities for promotions to deserving candidates. Most of the time, we associate the word equity with the DEI concept. DEI means diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Equity in an organization means that the firm purposely creates a setup where people can get the best working conditions, opportunities, fair pay, and fair treatment. 

Everyone should get access to the best resources, and they should be available to everyone concerned. But it also means that the company should suffice the individual needs and empower the workforce so that there can be a sync in the objectives of the company and the people working.

Equity As A Holistic Approach

If systemic inequalities or unfairness exist, the company should set protocols to eliminate them. There can only be one fit solution for some. 

Equity in the workplace tries to determine what’s needed and how that can be achieved so that employees and employers can holistically have a positive approach to the company. Everyone in the organization has the right to thrive, and that’s what equity is all about. 

How Is Equity Different From Equality In A Workplace?

The word equality means that there is equal treatment for all. But, in the run to provide everything equally to the individuals in the workplace, sometimes there would be a risk of hierarchy, underperformance issues, and lack of understanding. The concept of equality says that what one employee needs is what he gets, and all the other employees get the same.

People often think that equity and equality mean the same. But they are both different terms and have different meanings. 

Equity goes one step ahead and understands that the requirement of one employee is different from the other. Thus, establishing equity in the workplace is a crucial process. Equity says that unique issues and unique needs should be addressed. 

Leaders in the workplace should be able to identify the members’ unique needs and address these needs by providing prompt support to the human resource.

Equity In The Workplace Can Lead To Several Benefits.

If a workplace implements equity through its procedures and processes, there can be good benefits that the company can achieve. These include the following.

Provision of opportunities based on skills and needs

When there is equity in the workplace, the leaders will provide opportunities, appraisals, and support based on skills, knowledge, and individual needs. 

Assuming that all the employees have similar skill sets and expertise, there will be one fit challenge and opportunities for all. But this concept does not work. Hence, removing this assumption and considering human capital as having buried requirements, calibre, and skill sets are relevant. 

Enhancement of brand reputation

When equity is a practice and commitment in an organization, it will enhance the reputation of the brand and the company. 

The employees will also refer the company wherever they go if they are happy and satisfied with the company providing them with due support.

Reduction in employee turnover

The employees will feel they are being heard, getting due support, and having fair opportunities. This feeling can retain the person in the company for the long term. Thus, there will be reduced employee turnover.

There will be a pool for a diverse workforce.

The organization can gain access to a diverse workforce with equity as a religion in the workplace. There will be people with different skill sets, and hence the organization will grow because they have a good foundation of human capital.

Now that you know the benefits of implementing equity in the workplace, how to do it is also an important question.

How To Promote Equity In The Workplace?

Understand the concept and talk about it in the organization.

Often the, terms like equity are commonly heard from the mouth of leaders and employers or someone from the human resource department. 

But, equity should be an understanding that should float among all the people in the organization. There should be meetings wherein the concept is explained to the employees, explaining that there is space for everyone and everyone has a right to thrive and develop within the organization.

Evaluate whether there is prompt equity implementation in the workplace.

Analysis and evaluation of equity practices at the workplace provide an idea about whether the company is going in the right direction. 

There should be committees across the organization to evaluate and handle these issues. It is crucial to identify the scope of improvement and the flaws. 

If any. If equity practices were in place, it is critical to check the results. If needed, solutions like training, coaching, appraisal, and promotions should be worked upon.

Communicate the equity goals and results to the company.

Merely evaluation is not critical; communication about the equity goals and the fulfilment strategies is more important. When equity goals and results are discussed, the members will know that the company is committed to its goals.  

There are different ways of communication, traditional and modern means. The company can use any mode, but the crucial thing is to communicate the goals and the results.

Implement transparency in the pay and wage areas.

If the company stays transparent to the workforce about the pay scales and the wages, there will be certainty and self-doubt in their minds.

A fair pay system should be implemented depending on the skill sets and qualifications. The company should build a moral foundation that the workforce can trust.

Altering and auditing the recruitment advertisements

Revisiting the recruitment systems, advertisements, and other related things can help understand whether recruitment is fair.

If job descriptions do not encourage equity, then they should be altered. Prominence should be on skill-based hiring. 

The scope of incentives should be widened.

People get motivated by different things. Companies should develop various incentive designs that would inspire the workforce differently. Here, individual needs are important, and incentive policies should be designed in that manner.

Initiate coaching and training.

Equity should be used to provide resources to all workforce members. This idea should also include coaching and training to enhance the skill sets. The company should be open to providing developmental opportunities to the human capital working there.

Discourage all sorts of discrimination in the workplace.

The company should keep an eye on what’s happening within the organization. If there are any instances of discrimination, then that should be immediately stopped and addressed. There can be different types of discrimination, including gender, race and ethnicity. Rather there should be skill-based hiring and appraisals.

How To Measure Equity In The Workplace?

Quantitative analysis of equity in the workplace is quite difficult. But, there can be a few surveys that will be helpful in the process. Employee satisfaction surveys and net promoter scores can provide a basic idea of whether the company is on the right track regarding equity.

The questions can be like these:

  • Are you satisfied with the company?
  • Is there fair practice at work?
  • Are there good training options available?
  • Are you happy with your pay package?
  • Are you satisfied with the opportunities that you get at work?

When this kind of survey is taken, the company will gain insight into the practices and strategies they must take. 

Establishing equity in the workplace and creating a sync of the same with the company’s long-term goals can offer a platform where the company and the employees will get a chance to flourish. As far as equity is concerned, everyone in the company should participate in promoting equity.

Examples Of Equity In The Workplace

Equity in the workplace refers to creating a fair and just environment where everyone has equal opportunities to succeed and are treated with respect and dignity. Here are some examples of equity in the workplace:

Fair hiring practices – Recruitment and hiring processes should be designed to eliminate any biases and provide equal opportunities for all candidates.

Equal pay for equal work – Employees should receive fair and equal compensation for their work, regardless of their gender, race, or any other personal characteristic.

Diverse workforce – Employers should strive to build a diverse workforce by hiring employees from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.

Access to training and development – Employers should provide all employees with equal access to training and development opportunities to help them enhance their skills and advance their careers.

Flexible work arrangements – Employers should offer flexible work arrangements to all employees to help them achieve a better work-life balance.

Safe and healthy workplace – Employers should ensure that the workplace is safe and healthy for all employees, regardless of their position or job title.

Inclusive culture – Employers should foster an inclusive culture that encourages open communication, diversity of thought, and mutual respect among employees.

Fair and transparent performance evaluations – Employers should conduct performance evaluations based on clear and transparent criteria, and provide constructive feedback to help employees improve.

Reasonable accommodations – Employers should provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities to help them perform their job duties effectively.

Anti-discrimination policies – Employers should have strong anti-discrimination policies in place to prevent any form of discrimination or harassment in the workplace.

Conclusion

Organizations should be ready for positive change. Just like diversity and inclusion are vital concepts, one should recognize equity in the workplace. Business leaders should work hard to foster relevant changes in the organization. 

The company should have awareness about what’s happening inside and whether equity is practiced at all stages and levels. There should be quick work to initiate smooth implementation when there seem to be some issues.

If the company finds any roadblock, it must immediately create strategies to enhance and implement inclusion in the organization. 

The workforce is the main resource for the company. The company must therefore leave no traces of flaws. It should implement equity because everyone in the organization has the right to development, opportunities, and incentivization. 

Equity should be ahead in the conversations, practices, and company culture. The company will develop holistically only when people therein are happy and satisfied.

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